In the past year, I've been on more than 100 video calls, whether it's meeting extraordinary high schoolers, players at Pioneer working on cool projects, or just through interning remotely at Pioneer.
During this time, I picked up a lot of dos and don'ts. This document is an attempt to collate those ideas into a comprehensive guide to Video Call Etiquette.
Good audio is better than good video.
If possible, use a pair of high quality earphones. If you only use your laptop, make sure you are close to the mic. Mute yourself when you aren’t speaking. You don’t want the video to keep switching to you with every shuffle you make.
You won’t look away from someone when speaking to them in real life. The same idea applies to video. Keep your video on at all times. Face the camera as much as possible.
Ensure your face is well lit - keep your primary source of light in front of you. Windows in front (not behind) are good for this. By keeping the primary light source to your front or side, you avoid accentuating shadows beneath your eyes.
If you need to introduce yourself, do so in one sentence. If you’re giving context, do it quickly. Your life story is not necessary to answer the question. Err to undersharing. The person you asked will follow up if they need additional information.
Stick to one question at a time. It’s easier to keep one question in RAM, and you can almost always ask follow up questions later.
Do not ask googleable questions. The best way to avoid this is by spending at least 15 minutes doing some basic research before a call. The more specific the question is to the person responding, the better. The best questions give answers that draw from personal experience, and are interesting for both the person asking and the person responding.